


Arachi

by GemmaRose



Series: Inhuman [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allergies, Anal Sex, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Cosplay, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Costumes, Crying Keith (Voltron), Cuddling & Snuggling, Established Keith/Lance (Voltron), Established Relationship, Food Fight, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gentle Sex, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Halloween Gift Exchange, Idiots in Love, M/M, Shiro (Voltron) Is A Nerd, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 17:14:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12562276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: Seriously, what are the odds of them freeing a planet with a culture revolving around costumes the day before Halloween?





	1. Chapter 1

Keith stared out over the crowds, his head aching slightly from the mass of vibrant colours and patterns. “You’d think a culture with so much importance on costumes would learn how to make ones that are less tacky.” he muttered.

Next to him, Lance laughed. “You’re so uptight.” he teased, slinging an arm around Keith’s waist. “C’mon, we just chased off the galra, there’s gonna be a party tonight!”

“Actually, there’s not.” Shiro said as he came up the stairs to the little balcony they were on, his face somber. Keith’s stomach dropped. Was there something wrong? Some base they missed that was readying to launch a counter-attack? An incoming fleet of battleships?

“What?” Lance squawked, removing his arm from around Keith to give their leader a pleading look as the glow faded from his freckles. “But we _won_.”

Shiro nodded, stone-faced.

“Why?” Keith asked, Red’s purr rumbling through him like tongues of fire.

“Because.” Pidge grinned, appearing out of thin air next to Shiro. “Hunk talked them into moving it back a day.” their smile widened. “We’re gonna have a Halloween party!”

“Fire!” Lance cheered, pumping his fist in the air as Shiro’s poker face broke under a smirk.

“You couldn’t’ve just said that up front?” he asked, crossing his arms.

“Your faces were pretty good when Pidge broke the news.” Shiro smiled, reaching out to ruffle Keith’s hair. “And really, what better place is there to have a costume party?” he gestured at the crowd of masked aliens, and Keith sighed.

“Do I have to wear a costume?”

“Absolutely.” Lance said, grabbing his elbow. “Come on, we’re going shopping!”

“We don’t have any money.” Keith protested, but didn’t resist as Pidge grabbed his other arm and started tugging him down the stairs.

“Each of us is allowed one costume.” Shiro said, following close behind. When Keith looked over his shoulder he was smirking, the traitor. “We did just save their planet, after all.”

“I’m gonna be a pirate.” Lance declared, the shine back in his face.

“With a fake beard and an eyepatch?” Pidge laughed, releasing Keith’s arm as they got to the bottom of the stairs.

“And a hook.” Shiro added.

“Can’t forget the hook.” Lance agreed with a nod, still tugging Keith along by the arm. “I wonder if they’ve got any, like, shoulder perching bird props.” he mused.

Pidge’s eyes suddenly widened, and Shiro sighed as they darted off into the crowd with a squeal. “You two stick together.” he ordered. “I’ll stick with Pidge, and we’ll meet back on the castle for dinner in two vargas.”

Keith nodded, and Lance snapped a cheesy salute before tugging Keith along again, already glowing brighter with joy and babbling about how much fun this was going to be. Keith rolled his eyes, but made agreeing noises whenever Lance paused to breathe. If nothing else, watching Lance have the time of his life would make whatever stupid costume he got stuck with entirely worth it.

\---

“Would you like to try a drink?” a clerk offered as they walked in. Or, well, as Keith walked in. Lance had all but sprinted through the doors, and was already cooing at the dolled-up mannequins halfway to the back of the building.

“What’s in it?” Keith asked, looking suspiciously at the sample-sized cups of golden juice. They seemed to shimmer slightly, and he’d learnt not to trust alien edibles without an okay from Hunk first, or occasionally Pidge’s scanner.

“Oh, nothing harmful.” the alien waved a hand. “It’s mostly juice of the arachi berry, with some natural healing solutions mixed in. It’ll help reveal your true potential.”

Keith picked up one of the paper cups, and took a sniff. It smelled vaguely like roasted peanuts. Not a bad smell, but certainly strange from a juice.

“Whatcha got there?” Lance asked, leaning over Keith’s shoulder and almost making him spill the juice.

The clerk with a smiled, and said something that plain old didn’t translate. “Arachi berries and assorted natural solutions.” they continued, and Lance nodded as he picked one up to sniff experimentally. He made a face, and quickly set it back down.

“Smells like peanuts. I’m probably allergic.” he said apologetically.

“No worries.” the alien said as he set his cup back down, customer service tone audible even through the translators. Keith looked back at his cup, shrugged, and downed it in one. It tasted exactly like the honey-roasted peanuts from the Garrison’s little snack shop.

“Huh, that’s pretty good.” he said, looking at the empty cup.

“Two hundred GAC for a bottle.” the clerk gestured at the small table next to them, where several soda bottles of the stuff were stacked up.

“Sorry, we’re just getting costumes.” Lance said, and dragged Keith away towards the mannequins. “Come on, this one looks like it’d fit you perfectly.” he enthused, freckles pulsing brighter as he gestured at something that looked like the result of a medieval history buff dictating an armour design to a sci-fi artist.

“Lance, they’re costumes.” he said flatly, allowing his boyfriend to shake his whole arm in excitement. “They’re going to come in a whole bunch of sizes.”

“Yeah but look how cool it is!” Lance was practically- no, _literally_ bouncing, smiling so wide it looked a little painful.

“How about I pick my own costume, and you go see if they’ve got any pirate ones you like?” Keith suggested, managing to peel Lance’s fingers from his armour.

“Great idea. Meet up at the door? Awesome, love you, bye!” Lance gave him a peck on the cheek before bolting off, and Keith shook his head with a sigh. Lance’s enthusiasm was contagious, though, and he found himself actually considering some of the costumes as he wandered a themed section that looked like the unloved bastard child of high fantasy and retro sci-fi. Most of them that looked cool were expensive enough he doubted the clerk would let him have them for free, but eventually he found one that was cool, not exorbitantly expensive, and didn’t look like it would hinder his movement too much.

Lance made his way to the front door about half an hour later, and Keith’s lips twitched in a small grin at the sight of his boyfriend’s wide smile. “Find what you were looking for?” he asked as they walked out of the shop, Lance holding his purchase up against his chest with both hands on the bottom of the stiff paper bag.

“Better.” Lance’s glow brightened even further, and Keith only looked away to make sure neither of them walked into someone. “What’d you get?” Lance craned his neck as if to look into Keith’s bag, and Keith swapped it to his other hand.

“I’ll tell you if you tell me what’s better than a pirate.”

“A ninja, duh.” Lance rolled his eyes.

“You’re going as a ninja?” Keith raised an eyebrow. What were the odds of an alien planet as colourful as this one having had _ninjas_?

“Nah.” Lance scoffed. “I think I’ll make it a surprise.”

“It’s a sexy costume, isn’t it.” Keith deadpanned.

“What?” Lance laughed. “Please, a sexy costume wouldn’t be this heavy.” he hefted the bag in his arms higher, and Keith nodded. He wasn’t entirely convinced, though. The props and masks here could weigh a good deal, as he’d found out first hand when a galra soldier started pelting him with them at one point during the fight.

“Bet you can’t guess what mine is.” Keith grinned, lifting his bag and shaking it gently. Lance eyed it, then grinned wide.

“Sexy cyborg.” he declared. Keith punched him in the arm. Lance laughed, and Keith didn’t fight the smile that curled on his face. He’d never been particularly fond of Halloween, but tomorrow just might be alright.

\---

“You’re not gonna join us for the movie?” Lance frowned when Keith didn’t turn with the rest of the team on their way out of the dining room.

“I’m not feeling too hot.” he admitted with a grimace. “I think that arachi juice didn’t agree with me.”

“I could ready a pod, if you like.” Coran frowned.

“It’s not that bad.” Keith waved the concern away. “I’ll probably be fine by morning.”

“If you’re not, you should do some pod time.” Shiro frowned.

“Wait, was it yellow and glittery?” Hunk asked, and Keith nodded. “Yeah, that stuff gave me a stomach ache when I tried it but that went away after like an hour or two. You’ll probably be fine with some rest.”

“Good to hear.” Keith grinned weakly.

“Damn right it’s good to hear.” Lance clapped him on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t want to miss out on the awesome party tomorrow.”

Shiro herded the rest of the team away as Keith rolled his eyes, a fond smile pulling at his lips. “Go, watch the movie.” he slid his hand into Lance’s and squeezed gently. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Well then, kiss goodnight?” Lance grinned, and Keith leaned in to give him a quick, chaste kiss.

“Night.” he murmured when they parted, and Lance leaned in to give him another kiss on the cheek.

“Sweet dreams.” he smiled, freckles glowing almost as bright as the lights overhead, and then Keith was alone in the hallway. He shuffled back to his room, and collapsed in bed with a groan. He didn’t even feel particularly _sick_ , just generally shitty. Stupid alien food.

Though, if it had been the juice, why hadn’t he felt it earlier? Ugh, his head hurt too much to think about things. He’d just, pass out and think in the morning.

\---

He woke to a deep ache all over his body, and the sheets unusually uncomfortable against his skin. Something smelled good, like food, and he pushed himself up to look blearily around his room. There, by the door, one of the floating trays with a cover on it. He got up and shuffled over, and froze when he reached for the lid.

His hand was purple.

His skin and nails were pure purple, just a few shades lighter than the thick fuzz which had grown on his forearm. A scream clawed at his throat, but there was no air in his lungs to power it so all that came out was a raspy wheeze. He stared at his hand for a second, flexed his fingers, as if it was a hallucination or a dream. He was too awake to be dreaming, though, which meant- he whimpered, a small inhuman thing that pulled itself free of his throat before he could stop it.

He rushed into the bathroom, and had to grip the edge of the sink to not collapse at the sight of his reflection in the mirror. He was purple all over, save for his eyes. His eyes glowed gold at him in the mirror, his pupils barely a pinprick of black in the center. This couldn’t be happening, it couldn’t be. He had to go out and mingle with aliens today, and he wouldn’t be able to get away with wearing his flight suit and tinting the visor. He opened his mouth, and made another distressed whine at the sight of sharp, cat-like teeth against the purple of his tongue and cheeks. He looked galran, inside and out. What had happened? He’d been normal last night, why-

The drink. The sales clerk had said something about it being revealing. It had revealed the heritage the whole team was helping him keep secret from the galaxy at large, that blood of the enemy flowed in his veins. Motion at the side of his head made him startle, and he reached up to touch his ear. His fluffy, purple ear, which twitched when he thought about moving it. Holy shit. He stared blankly at his reflection, and wondered what the Blade would think if they saw him like this. The team wouldn’t care, but their galran allies already treated him as a child at times and he could only guess it would get worse now that he was kitten-fluffy. Hopefully they wouldn’t try to tongue-groom him, that would just be gross.

A knock on the door startled him out of his head, and he kicked the operation panel to make it shut as Lance announced his presence.

“I’m in the bathroom.” he yelled, and for a minute there was no response. Then Lance’s voice came through the door, clear as crystal.

“You feeling better?” he asked, and Keith almost sighed in relief.

“Less like death, at least.”

“Good enough to come down to the party?” Lance asked, hope evident in his tone.

“I still have to get my costume on, but yeah.” Keith grimaced. If he said he couldn’t go, he didn’t doubt Lance would insist on staying on the castle to keep him company. “It may take a while.”

“Well, don’t stay up here all day.” Lance said, sounding... worried? Keith really wasn’t sure without being able to see his face. The whole emotive glowing thing made him really easy to read, as long as they were in the same room. “Hunk’s been planetside since breakfast, helping make food that’s edible for everyone. Turns out they use those arachi berries in, like, _everything_ , so he’s trying to find a substitute.”

“Of course he is.” Keith chuckled, and Lance laughed before rapping once on the door.

“Come find me once you get to the party?”

“Of course.” Keith smiled, and slumped against the wall as he listened to Lance leave. He relaxed slightly when he heard the hall door open and shut again, then frowned. His hearing hadn’t been this acute yesterday. Then again, his ears hadn’t been this big yesterday. He wondered if any of his other senses had been heightened by the change.

Opening the door proved that, if nothing else, his sense of smell had sharpened. He could smell Lance in the air, a mix of floral bath products and the sharp scent of his face masks. It was weirdly calming, and he realized that the hair on his arms had bristled up like a spooked cat’s fur only as it began to settle down. He lifted the lid from the tray of food, and wrinkled his nose at the strong smell that wafted from it. It was like someone had bottled the smell of breakfast, compressed it, and stuffed it under his nose. Not bad, but far too intense.

He ate quickly, glad that his sense of taste didn’t seem to have changed, and once he was done he looked over at the bag containing the costume he’d gotten yesterday. Maybe... he could claim that being purple was part of his costume? He only had to keep the act up as long as he was planetside, and then he could tell the team the truth afterwards. It wasn’t a great idea, but it was all he could think of.

He just hoped he could pull it off.


	2. Chapter 2

Lance almost regretted his choice of costume. The wings were awkward to maneuver through the crowd with, and the straps of the harness which held them in place were starting to bite into his shoulders, though thankfully it sat alright over the ridge of crystals which ran down his spine. At least the sandals fit properly, he’d hate to have to miss out on the dancing due to blisters.

He grabbed a cup, and scanned the drinks table. Surprisingly few of the pitchers were set behind a blue tag, which Lance supposed made sense considering how prominent the arachi berries seemed to be in these people’s culture. He wound up just pouring himself some water, and when he looked up he definitely didn’t jump and shriek in fear. He just yelped, and startled, and spilled his entire cup of ice water down the front of his tunic.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Keith chuckled. Lance scowled at his now-drenched costume, then pouted at his boyfriend. His very fluffy, very purple boyfriend.

“Holy shit.” he breathed, eyes going wide. “How long did it take you to seal all that?”

“You don’t wanna know.” Keith chuckled awkwardly.

“So, what’s your costume?” he looked Keith up and down, taking in the ripped clothes with purple fuzz sticking out and the nearly excessive robotic looking pieces punched through the fabric and glued to bits of his skin. He’d even pasted some of the fur to the backs of his hands, and done his freaking nails to look like claws. Damn, Keith’s costume was so much cooler than his!

“Robeast.” Keith held his arms out a bit, letting Lance get a better look at him. “Whattaya think?”

“I think I’m losing our little costume contest is what I think.” Lance chuckled. Keith’s eyes flickered over him, lingering on the hem of his colourful toga. It was sinfully short, probably because these aliens had no external genitals to worry about concealing, and Lance smirked as he lifted a hand to press one finger under Keith’s chin. “Eyes up here, nene.” he teased.

“I thought you said you didn’t buy a sexy costume.” Keith whispered, and oh wow he’d gone the extra mile and picked up golden sclera contacts and the fancy kind of fake teeth you had to glue in place. He’d have to wash off the paint before they did anything if they wanted to avoid ruining the sheets forever, but Lance was so asking him to keep the contacts and teeth on.

“Well, it wasn’t marketed as one.” Lance grinned, stepping closer to Keith. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah.” Keith breathed, and Lance pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“Lemme get some water, and then we can go dance.” Lance grinned when they parted, and turned to refill his cup. Keith whined, and slid in halfway behind Lance to rest a hand on his hip and tuck his chin over his shoulder without disturbing his wings or scraping the crystals along his spine.

“Do we have to?”

“Yes.” Lance grinned, turning his head to give Keith a peck on the cheek. “I haven’t gotten a single dance with my boyfriend yet, and that’s downright unacceptable.”

Keith smiled, the soft warm one that lit up his face and made Lance’s chest go all tight with affection, and Lance pulled him in for another, deeper kiss. “Te amo.” he murmured, and felt heat radiating from Keith’s face.

“ _Lance_.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Lance laughed, pulling back and sliding one of his hands into Keith’s. “Couldn’t resist.”

“You’re so paying for that later.” Keith muttered, looking away even as he gripped Lance’s hand tighter. Lance laughed, and downed the rest of his drink.

“Let’s go find somewhere to dance.” he said, pulling on Keith’s hand to lead him into the crowd. They’d probably leave after a few dances, since Keith wasn’t really fond of the type of crowds or loud music which were prevalent at parties, but until then he’d enjoy dancing with his boyfriend.

\---

“Put me down!” Lance laughed, clutching Keith’s shoulders. “Nene, I’m gonna fall!”

“No you’re not.” Keith grinned against Lance’s stomach, knuckles pressing distractingly against the crystal ridge of his spine. “Just relax, I’ve got you.”

Lance gripped Keith’s shoulders tighter, and exhaled shakily. Keith was strong, crazy strong, Lance had seen him boost Hunk up to hard-to-reach panels before. “Alright.” he said, trying to force himself to un-tense just a bit. “I trust you.”

Keith smiled wider, and Lance resolved to kiss him senseless once his feet were back on the ground. “Alright, so which way is the food table?”

Lance looked around, then lifted a hand to point. “On your five.”

Keith crouched, letting Lance slowly slip lower until his feet were back on the ground, and once his boyfriend was straightened up Lance gave him a kiss on the edge of his lips. “Let’s get some food in you.”

“Then back to the castle?”

“If you’re still wiped after eating, yeah.” Lance slipped his hand into Keith’s and squeezed gently as they started through the crowd. Eventually they reached the edge of the dance floor, and Lance waved as he spotted Shiro and Hunk chatting by the tables of food. He hadn’t seen the rest of the team since they left after breakfast while he brought food to Keith’s room, and as they approached he took a few seconds to appreciate their costumes.

Hunk had gone traditional again, a dark cape with a collar for a classic dracula look, but Shiro’s was more complex. He had a bright red jacket that came to around his knees, the right sleeve ripped jaggedly around the elbow to reveal his prosthetic. Underneath, his vest was open over another black shirt which tucked into sturdy looking black pants held up by a thick brown belt. The pants were ripped a bit more than halfway up the left shin, revealing silver painted skin between the rip and the top of his usual black combat boots.

Shiro’s eyes widened as he noticed them, and Hunk yelped as he was splashed with whatever had been in the Black Paladin’s now-crushed cup. Keith’s hand tightened around his, and Lance rolled his eyes as they closed the distance. “Jeez, Shiro, it’s not _that_ short.” he huffed as they entered conversational range.

“It is pretty short.” Keith said.

“Traitor.” Lance muttered, low enough Hunk and Shiro wouldn’t hear it. Keith just gave him a quick little smile, then- wait a second. Lance frowned slightly, looking between Keith and Shiro. They were having a silent conversation. He couldn’t tell what about, like he could with his own siblings, but there was definitely something passing between them. It went quickly, Shiro giving a minute nod of his head that Lance wouldn’t’ve even noticed if he hadn’t been looking, and then Hunk turned around and jumped about six inches in the air with a screech like a startled cat.

“Holy shit, Keith!” he said, taking a step back. He was wearing a chef’s coat under the cape, still dusted and stained with colourful materials. From the front, it looked like he’d just thrown his ‘costume’ on over what he was wearing as he helped make the food.

“I know, right?” Lance beamed, electing not to comment on his friend’s evidently last-second costume. “And here I thought I was gonna have the coolest costume of the five of us.”

“I think Shiro wins that one, actually. ” Keith said as Hunk gave him a supremely unimpressed look. “All he’s missing is the watch and the wig.”

“And detailing on the leg.” Shiro stuck his left leg out a bit.

“Still, cooler than a robeast.” Keith gestured at himself.

“Oh, is that what you’re supposed to be?” Hunk asked, seeming to give up on giving Lance a despairing look and turning his attention to Keith instead.

“You’re dressed as Chef Drac, you don’t get to critique my costume.” Keith huffed.

“Hey, at least I’m recognisable.” Hunk crossed his arms, posture relaxing slightly. “Which is more than I can say for either of you.”

“Excuse you.” Lance pouted. “I’m clearly Icarus. See the toga and wings?” he gestured at himself. “I even found almost-Roman sandals!”

“I thought you were supposed to be an angel.” Keith mused, blinking at him with entirely false innocence. Lance made a strangled sound of protest, and Shiro snorted.

“That’s appropriately gay.” he grinned, turning and grabbing a new cup. Oh, he’d probably been startled by Keith’s resemblance to a full-blooded galra. He’d poke Keith about apologising for that later.

“Appropriately?” Hunk and Keith asked, almost in synch.

“Yeah.” Shiro picked up a pitcher and started pouring it into his cup. “In almost every re-telling, Icarus is in love with the sun. The sun was depicted as a god in Greco-Roman mythology.” he set the pitcher down and turned back to face them with a small smirk. “Good thing Keith’s fire, not the sun, or you might die trying to get on his-”

“Shiro!” Keith interrupted with a mortified half-screech, and Shiro made a poor attempt at hiding his laughter in a sip of his drink. Hunk didn’t even try hiding his sniggers, and Lance glared at him.

“Sorry.” he said, obviously not sorry in the slightest.

“C’mon, nene.” Lance huffed, taking Keith by the elbow. “Let’s get some food.”

“Please.” Keith whined, following him past Shiro and Hunk, who were still giggling like idiots.

\---

Lance leaned back, tipping his chair up on two legs and hooking a foot under one of the little bars that spread out from the table's central pillar to balance that way. “I wonder what this planet's constellations are like.” he mused, tilting his head to stare up at the emerging stars.

“Probably not too different from the Earth ones.” Keith shrugged in his peripheral vision, pushing his food around on his plate. “Every culture has their heroes and monsters and cautionary tales that they draw in the stars.”

“Yeah, but like, specifics.” Lance huffed, lifting a hand and drawing lines with one finger between a handful of the brightest stars above them. “Sure, they're myths and stuff, but what _are_ those myths?”

“We could probably ask for a book of myths, if you want to know.” Keith suggested. “Pidge is getting really good at translating alien languages.”

“Well, it's only half me.” Pidge said, dropping into the chair on Lance's right and setting down a loaded plate of food. “My translation tech is a learning program, and the more it has to learn from the faster it goes.”

“Nice costume.” Keith said, lifting a sporkful of food to his mouth. “What is it?”

“Tetra.” Pidge grinned, flipping their little blonde ponytail.

“That old video game?” Keith frowned, and Lance snorted. His boyfriend's ignorance of pop culture was so cute when he wasn't using it to be annoying.

“You're thinking of Tetris.” he corrected. “Tetra is pirate Zelda from the Legend of Zelda series.”

“Okay, I know why I know that but why do _you_ know that?” Pidge frowned at him.

Lance shrugged, leaning forward until all the legs of his chair were on the floor. “My sis and I used to hang out at the arcade all the time. Owner had a lot of opinions about the classics.”

“Huh.” Pidge sipped at their drink.

“Hey.” Keith kicked him under the table, mouth curled in that soft little smile that made Lance's chest burn with warmth. “Looks like they've got pirate costumes after all.”

Lance kicked him back. “Yeah, but I knew you'd like this one more.” he grinned, and Pidge sniggered.

“I just realized.” they explained at Keith's wordless questioning noise. “You two really _are_ perfect for each other.”

“Glad to have your blessing.” Keith deadpanned as Lance awww’d.

“You're both fuckin furries.” Pidge grinned wide, and Lance's jaw dropped open.

“Rude!” he squawked.

“I'm not a furry!” Keith protested.

“You look like one, though.” Pidge smirked.

Keith flung a sporkful of frosting he'd scraped off his cupcake at Pidge’s face. They screeched in anger, and Lance laughed as a full slice of cake was smashed into Keith's hair. Something like mashed potatoes hit him in the side of the head a few seconds later, and he just laughed harder as Pidge complained about how hard it'd be to clean their wig.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith hummed contentedly, nuzzling into Lance’s neck. “We should get out of our costumes.” he murmured into his boyfriend’s skin.

“Mm, probably.” Lance curled his fingers under the tips of Keith’s hair, rubbing at that one spot which made Keith go limp with a strange kind of pleasure he’d never been able to explain until after meeting the Blade of Marmora. “But you’re warm.”

“And you’re comfy.” Keith smiled, settling himself more comfortably in his boyfriend’s lap. Lance’s fingers strayed up from his neck, carding through his hair and gently scratching at his scalp. Keith felt a vibration building in his chest at the sensation, and let himself purr into Lance’s shoulder.

“Did you have fun?” Lance asked, lowering one hand from Keith’s head to wrap an arm around his waist.

“Mmhmm.” Keith nodded, wordless assent all he could manage through the purr still rumbling in his chest and throat.

“I’m glad.” Lance smiled, glow brightening slightly as he pressed a kiss to Keith’s cheek. “I had fun too, spending time with you.”

Keith whined, and Lance chuckled before nuzzling at his cheek. “Love you.” his fingers brushed the base of Keith’s ear, and Keith went completely limp in his boyfriend’s arms. His ears had always been sensitive, something Lance took endless advantage of, but now his boyfriend’s touch felt even better. “Fuck, Keith, if you don’t get your paint off soon we’re going to completely ruin your bed.”

Paint? Keith frowned, pulling himself upright enough to look at Lance in confusion. “What paint?” he asked, and Lance looked as confused as he felt.

“Um, the purple stuff all over your everything?” Lance lifted his hand from Keith’s back to gesture at him, and he looked down at himself. Oh, right, he hadn’t actually said anything about that yet.

“That’s not paint.” he said simply, locking eyes with his boyfriend. Lance’s eyes widened, flicking up and down Keith’s body a few times before he grinned, wide and mischievous, the glow of his teeth and freckles heart-stoppingly beautiful.

“Well, then.” he lifted his free hand to fiddle with something under his toga. “Guess we can skip that step.” his wings tilted, and Keith leaned back to give him space to remove the massive prop.

“You’re not going to say anything about this?” Keith frowned, gesturing at himself.

“What’s there to say?” Lance frowned, pulling dark fabric straps from under his toga. “You’re still you, you’re still hot, and the Marmorites said this would happen eventually anyways, right?” he turned, and Keith slid off his lap so he could get up to move the wings somewhere less inconvenient. “So unless there’s been changes bigger than your ears and teeth and claws, there’s not really anything to discuss.” he shrugged.

“Oh.” Keith looked down at his lap, at the sharp-tipped curves of keratin which now adorned the ends of his fingers. “Okay.”

Lance sat down heavily on the bed next to him, and Keith let his boyfriend tilt his chin up with gentle fingers. “You know I love you, right?” Lance asked, his tone soft and reassuring. “Compared to the mullet, turning purple is nothing.”

“Always with the mullet.” Keith chuckled, and Lance gave him a quick kiss.

“Want my help getting your costume off?” he asked, tone dipping lower even as his freckles flared brighter.

“Yes please.” Keith sighed, lifting a hand to his face and sliding one claw under the lense that covered one eye to make it look like a prosthetic. “A lot of this is glued on, and peeling it all off is going to take _forever_.”

Lance shook his head with a fond sigh, and set to removing some of the more awkward appliques. They worked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Lance sat back with a triumphant grin. “Looks like that’s all of them.” he declared, reaching out to play with one of the rips on Keith’s shirt. “You still wanna do stuff, or...?” he trailed off, and Keith caught Lance’s hand in his own.

“Well, this is part of my costume too.” he gestured to his clothing with a small smile. “I’d like some help getting it off.”

Lance beamed, his glow brightening to outshine the ceiling lights, and all but crawled into Keith’s lap to kiss him fiercely. His fingers went to that spot at the back of Keith’s neck, and Keith sighed softly into Lance’s mouth as he was laid out on his back. It felt so good when Lance did that, so much better than doing it himself. Lance sprawled out on top of him, fingers still massaging Keith’s neck like he wanted to work each and every one of his tense muscles loose, and Keith let himself get lost in the way their bodies fit together. Lance was a heavy weight on top of him, slender enough to almost be bony but not uncomfortable by any measure. Their lips moved in easy sync, a now-familiar action that did nothing to stop him drifting, and when Lance’s fingers left his neck to dig in behind his ear Keith pulled away to moan loudly.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful.” Lance murmured, his other hand coming up and gripping Keith’s shirt by the collar. “How did I get lucky enough to have you?” his fingers left the back of Keith’s ear to trace his jaw, and Keith opened his eyes the slightest sliver.

“You almost died.” he murmured.

“Right, right.” Lance chuckled. “But I didn’t, and then you kissed me. No warning or anything!”

“Couldn’t help myself.” Keith grinned at the memory of Lance in his arms, whole and alive and glowing softly after almost three movements waiting in agonising uncertainty. His chest felt too hot, too small to contain the sudden welling of affection, and he pulled Lance down into a languid kiss. “You’re just so beautiful.” he murmured when they parted.

“You’re lucky I love you.” Lance chided, pressing another quick kiss to Keith’s lips. “This shirt is toast anyways, can I-?” he gripped the other side of the collar with his other hand, and Keith nodded. Lance sat up, and with one fluid motion ripped the entire front of Keith’s shirt open. The rest of both their clothing came off pretty quick after that, and Keith wriggled into a more comfortable position when Lance got up to grab the lube.

“Have I told you you’re beautiful?” Lance murmured as he settled himself between Keith’s legs, smearing lube on his fingers.

“Mm, not today.” Keith grinned lazily, and Lance leaned forwards to give him a kiss. Keith moaned into it softly when the first finger slipped into him, quickly followed by a second.

“You’re so pretty, Keith.” Lance breathed when they parted, locking eyes with Keith as he scissored his fingers. “Fuck, you’re so beautiful I can’t stand it.” he added another finger, and Keith tipped his head back with a moan as he was stretched further. Lance’s fingers were magic, honestly. Nothing he did with them ever felt half as good when Keith tried to do it to himself.

“Look at you.” Lance murmured as Keith arched on the bed, a hand on his hip keeping him from bucking up onto Lance’s fingers. “You’re a desperate mess just from my fingers. I bet I could get you off like this without even touching you.”

“ _Lance_.” Keith whined, and his boyfriend chuckled as he leaned in to kiss him tenderly.

“But not tonight.” he whispered, breath tickling the fuzz inside of Keith’s ear. “Tonight I’m just going to take it slow, love you as much as you deserve.”

Something in Keith’s chest twinged painfully at that, but he pushed back against the automatic denial. “Take me apart.” he panted as Lance removed his fingers, and his boyfriend grinned.

“As you wish.” he said as he slid in. Keith moaned breathily as his boyfriend set a torturously gentle pace, each thrust sinking only a little deeper into him. Lance guided Keith’s hands to his back, and moaned into Keith’s shoulder when Keith scratched gently at the sensitive skin on either side of the crystal ridge of his spine. Lance’s teeth sank into the juncture of his neck and shoulder, sucking a hickey into his skin which would be clearly visible over the collar of his shirt tomorrow, then he moved his head to the other side of Keith’s neck and started lavishing attention on the large scar which had dominated that shoulder ever since the Trials of Marmora.

“Joder, nene.” Lance moaned, finally stilling with his hips flush against Keith’s. “Eres el mejor.” he pressed a messy kiss to Keith’s lips, which Keith eagerly returned.

When they parted, Lance pushed himself up on his arms and looked down at Keith with an expression so fond, so adoring it made Keith’s chest ache from the reciprocal surge of affection. “Eres tan hermoso.” Lance whispered, moving one hand to caress Keith’s face. “¿Qué hice para merecerte?”

Keith slid his claws up Lance’s back, drawing a shudder and moan from his boyfriend which were accompanied by a buck of his hips. “You loved me.” he murmured, looping his arms around the back of Lance’s neck as Lance started moving his hips in slow, deep thrusts that took Keith’s breath away. “I was scared, and hurt-” his breath hitched, emotions and physical pleasure making it hard to breathe. “And you were there for me.” his breath caught in his throat again, and Lance leaned down with a noise of concern to kiss at the edges of his eyes.

“Te amo.” he murmured, shifting his weight to one arm so he could slide the other under Keith and pull him up against his chest. “Tem amo para siempre. Nunca te dejaré.”

Keith’s breath hitched in something dangerously close to a sob, and Lance kissed away another tear before it could fall.

“¿Demasiado?” he asked, and Keith shook his head.

“I just-” his breath hitched again, and Lance nuzzled his cheek. “I love you.”

“Yo tambien te amo.” Lance grinned, and kissed him properly.

Keith deepened the kiss, tasting the salt on Lance’s lips as he moved one hand up to tangle in his hair, and when they parted to breathe he ducked his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder. Lance loosened the arm around Keith’s back, laying him down on the sheets again, and Keith whimpered as his boyfriend’s hips began to move against his harder, faster, building rapidly towards the inevitable crescendo.

“Acabaremos juntos.” Lance panted, wrapping a hand around Keith’s neglected cock. It only took a few tugs before Keith was coming hard, spilling across their chests with a wordless cry. Lance followed a second later, hips losing their rhythm as he came inside Keith. He pulled out a few seconds later, and flopped down at Keith’s side to cuddle up to him. Keith turned on his side, and slid an arm over Lance’s waist.

Lance made a wordless happy sound, and pulled him closer in a tight hug which was almost as good as one of Hunk’s. Keith melted into the embrace, into Lance playing gently with his ears and the back of his neck, and purred contentedly. Lance chuckled, a soft, breathy thing that tickled Keith’s ear and made it twitch, and then he pressed his lips to Keith’s forehead.

“C’mon.” he murmured, pushing himself up on one arm. “We should wash up.”

Keith whined, and tried to pull Lance back down to cuddle with him. Lance just laughed, the asshole, and slid free of Keith’s hold. “We can cuddle in the tub, if you want.” he suggested, and Keith grudgingly sat up.

“Jerk.” he muttered.

“But you love me.” Lance grinned, and Keith sighed.

“Yeah, I do.”


End file.
